That's the only benchmark revealed today, but I can also add a few more details. Apparently the new Kindle Fire (expected to be unveiled alongside the new KFHD tablets) is codenamed Soho (KFSOWI).

This is rather curious, because when I combined Soho, Thor, and the codename for the new KFHD 8.9 (Apollo) I came up with a rather interesting Google search result.

A research firm I had never heard of before posted on their website that Amazon's 3 new tablets would be called Soho, Thor, and Apollo. They appear to have posted this back in May of this year, though I can only confirm via Google cache that this was posted before 3 August 2013.

It's not clear where they got their info but they also had the screen resolution for both Thor and Apollo.

Either that research firm is part of an elaborate hoax or it is an independent confirmation of the latest rumors. And given that leaks are now an established part of any media campaign for a gadget launch, I don't think this is a hoax.

With that in mind, does anyone have a bloody clue what "Soho" is supposed to reference? What about the other names?

I already know that Amazon likes to choose names that make a specific reference. For example, the original Kindle is codenamed Fiona, a nod to a character in Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. Other early Kindle hardware also referenced that book.

Come on, I know that I have any number of readers who work for Amazon. Throw me a bone. Please?

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Nate Hoffelder

Nate Hoffelder is the founder and editor of The Digital Reader. He has been blogging about indie authors since 2010 while learning new tech skills weekly. He fixes author sites, and shares what he learns on The Digital Reader's blog. In his spare time, he fosters dogs for A Forever Home, a local rescue group.

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6 Comments

The Commons18 August, 2013

Apollo (god of–among other things–light) and Thor (god of lightning [and thunder]) seem to be obvious. The most famous Soho is the Manhattan art and fashion-centered neighborhood.

Uhmm, _I_ automatically think of the entertainment district in West End London (UK). I think you are thinking of SoHo – the district SOuth of HOuston Ave. in NYC. London’s definitely came first. And entertainment certainly fits a new tablet…

In techie circles, SOHO is an acronym for Small Office/Home Office and generally applied to entry level productivity tools.
Thor was an early US rocket family that like the Apollo spacecraft moved very fast.

Or, they could be using Superhero names; Thor from Marvel and Apollo from DC.